Computer-aided printing enables users to create printed documents directly from text and graphics files generated by such as word processors and drawing programs. Likewise, computer-aided optical scanning enables users to store images and text as computer-resident files commonly known as pixel files having a bit-mapped format. The bit-mapped format of data stored in a pixel files, however, is unsuitable for use with a word processor, which responds to defined characters, such as ASCII format characters.
Because bit-mapped files are not character files, a pixel file first needs to be converted into an ASCII-based text file by means of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software before its contents can be recognized and edited with a word processor.
Since printing and scanning devices are often expensive and typically occupy a substantial space, many companies have their employees share printing and scanning devices that are placed at a distance from their desks. Even in one-person offices, a printer, scanner or fax machine is typically not placed next to a user's desk where it would be immediately available.
To make a trip to a remote printer to pick up a printed document or to make a trip to a remote scanner to scan a document, is inconvenient and time consuming. Also, shared devices typically have conventional tray-feed (sheet feeder) or continuous-feed apparatus, which discourage printing both sides of a sheet of paper, which contributes to unnecessary paper consumption.
What is clearly needed is a low-cost device that combines printing and scanning functions and is yet small enough to be placed conveniently on a user's desk, or mounted in the base of a video monitor or in the case of a computer. A monitor stand serving as a housing for a device that combines printing and scanning functions according to embodiments of the present invention may be a separate stand upon which a monitor may be placed, or may be a part of a monitor.
Placement of a personal desktop system according to the present invention in a monitor stand or computer case enables a user to quickly scan or print documents without leaving the computer station, and without interrupting work flow. What's more, most state-of-the-art computers now are equipped with a communication device (modem), so a desktop I/O device for scanning and printing according to this invention combined with such a communication device provides a system similar to a facsimile system, that can transmit printed documents or print received documents conveniently at a user's desk. To be conveniently useful, this desktop I/O device must be able to accept documents ranging from business cards to legal size documents.